Mortal Kombat
|running time = 97 minutes |catalogue number = VA20656 |rating = }} Mortal Kombat is a UK VHS release by First Independent on 18th November 1996. Description Cast * Christopher Lambert as Raiden, god of thunder and protector of Earthrealm who guides the warriors on their journey. He desires to aid the heroes in defending Earthrealm, but as he himself is not mortal, he is not permitted to participate in the tournament and may only advise them and act to prevent cheating. * Robin Shou as Liu Kang, a former Shaolin monk, who enters the tournament to avenge his brother's death. He is also Kitana's love interest and among the first who notice her sympathy towards Earthrealm. As in most of the games in the Mortal Kombat series, Liu Kang is the main protagonist. This was Shou's second American film, as his last American role was in 1990, for the made-for-television film Forbidden Nights. * Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Shang Tsung, a powerful, sadistic and treacherous demon sorcerer, he is the film's main antagonist who killed Liu Kang's brother Chan. Tagawa was the filmmakers' first and only choice for the role; he was instantly selected after he came to his audition in costume, and read his lines while standing on a chair.3 * Linden Ashby as Johnny Cage, a Hollywood superstar that enters the tournament to prove to the world that his skills are for real. He is also Sonya's love interest. Ashby trained in karate and tae kwon do especially for this film. Despite the intensity of the fight scenes coupled with the actors performing most of their own stunts, on-set injuries were surprisingly minimal; the only notable occurrence was a mildly bruised kidney Ashby suffered while shooting Cage's fight scene with Scorpion.3 * Bridgette Wilson as Sonya Blade, an American Special Forces officer from Austin, Texas who's in hot pursuit of Kano, the criminal who killed her partner. She is also Johnny's love interest. Cameron Diaz was originally set to play Sonya, but she broke her wrist during a martial arts training session prior to shooting4 and was replaced by Wilson, who was jokingly nicknamed "RoboBabe" during production by director Paul W. S. Anderson. Wilson performed all her own stunts, including fight scenes. * Talisa Soto as Princess Kitana, the Outworld emperor's adopted daughter who decides to help the Earth warriors. She is attracted to Liu Kang, who reciprocates and takes her advice to go further. Soto had previously appeared alongside Tagawa in Licence to Kill. * Trevor Goddard as Kano, an Australian underworld crime boss who joins forces with Shang Tsung. * Chris Casamassa as Scorpion, an undead warrior under Shang Tsung's control. As with the games, Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon provided the voice of the character. * François Petit as Sub-Zero, a cryomancer warrior under Shang Tsung's control. The rivalry between Scorpion and Sub-Zero is only briefly mentioned by Shang Tsung at the beginning of the movie. * Keith Cooke as Reptile, a creature who serves Shang Tsung. Cooke portrayed the character's human form, while his lizard form was rendered with the use of computer-generated imagery.3 Reptile's vocal effects were provided by Frank Welker. * Tom Woodruff, Jr. as Goro, prince of the subterranean realm of Shokan and general of the armies of Outworld. Goro is the reigning champion of Mortal Kombat. ** Kevin Michael Richardson provides the speaking voice of Goro, while his vocal effects are provided by Frank Welker. * Kenneth Edwards as Art Lean, a fellow martial arts actor and friend of Johnny Cage who competes in the tournament. * Steven Ho as Chan Kang, Liu Kang's younger brother. * Gregory McKinney as Jax, Sonya's Special Forces partner. Steve James was originally cast to play Jax, but he died from pancreatic cancer a year before production on the film began.5 * Peter Jason as Master Boyd, Johnny Cage's sensei. * Frank Welker provides the voice of Shao Kahn, the Emperor of Outworld. Sandy Helberg is briefly seen in the beginning of the film as the director of Cage's latest movie. Originally, this part was to be a cameo appearance by Steven Spielberg, but scheduling conflicts forced him to back out; the "director" character in this scene still resembles Spielberg. Credits Trailers and info Original 1996 release # An advert for Pirate Videos: Daylight Robbery # Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins (Coming Soon from New Line Home Video) Category:UK VHS/DVD Releases Category:Mortal Kombat Category:First Independent Category:1996 VHS Releases Category:Threshold Entertainment Category:New Line Cinema Category:BBFC 15 Category:VHS Videos with Pirate Videos: Daylight Robbery advert from 1996 Category:VHS